Joel Embiid Says “LOL” To Trusting The Process

sussman171 05:35 pm, May 17th, 2016

The Sixers have been atrociously bad for a really long time. Throughout the Sam Hinkie Era (RIP 2016), they have lost as many games as humanly possible, all with the thought that #EverythingWillBeFine. The goal was that they would accumulate enough high draft picks to infuse the struggling franchise with massive amounts of talent. The Sixers have long needed to be reinvigorated and Hinkie's process was supposed to ultimately result in an extremely talented Sixers team.

It wasn't just that the Sixers were tanking though that was the problem; it was how obvious they were making it. Their owners were paying the league floor for players. Their entire roster was made up of 2nd round picks and undrafted players and even when they drafted talent (Michael Carter Williams, Jrue Holiday) they just traded them away for additional future picks. The future is always bright for Philadelphia.

Over the last three years, Philly has drafted three players that play the same position. Despite sucking more than any other team, the Sixers have yet to acquire the first pick in the lottery. Instead they have "settled" for Nerlens Noel (6th overall), Joel Embiid (3rd), and Jahlil Okafor (3rd). Noel missed all of his rookie season with a knee injury. Embiid missed all of his first two years with foot injuries. But this was all part of the plan. As long as these players were hurt, the Sixers would continue to suck and get high draft picks. But when Embiid and Noel were finally healthy and Dario Saric comes over from Europe and when the Sixers finally win the lottery, the Sixers would be BACK.

Unfortunately, Sam Hinkie was never able to see his plan through. The NBA was fed up with Philadelphia's "Suck For Simmons" campaign and put Jerry Colangelo in charge of the team. Philadelphia reacquired productive players (including Ish Smith) and actually tried to win. Don't worry though, they still finished with the worst record in the NBA.

The Sixers go into tonight's lottery with the best chance of any other team to obtain the number one overall pick. They also hold the rights to the Lakers pick if Los Angeles finishes outside of the top three in the lottery. Joel Embiid, for one, is hoping for the best case scenario for his team tonight. However, like the rest of us, the term #TrustTheProcess, has gotten old for him.

You have to love a player that has yet to play an NBA game side swiping the team that drafted him. With Noel and Okafor in front of him, will Embiid ever get a legitimate chance to play? And if the team does draft Ben Simmons (6'10), does Embiid even make this team next year?